Ready for a Drink
by Zephoria
Summary: A 'what if' story based on a line in the movie. What if there was more then meets the eye - typical of the Marvel-verse. Couldn't get this out of my head, so I'm turning the one shot into a story. Rated T for occasional course language. Changed to Crossover as characters from Thor will be present**Sixth Chapter**
1. Ready for that Drink

What if there is more going on behind the scenes then realized - as is typical with the Marvel Comicverse. This is a short one shot - perhaps to become an entire story - about the ending of The Avengers Movie. – Chapter Edited for grammar and minor spelling issues –

* * *

"If it is all the same to you, I'll have that drink now." Loki shifted to sit a bit more comfortably.

All of the Avengers – apart from Clint with his arrow trained at the center of Loki's forehead – looked at each other.

Tony gave a half smile. "Well, I did offer him one." He broke off from the group and walked up to his bar, grabbing a bottle from underneath the shelf. "To be perfectly honest, I could use a drink. Hell, we could all use a drink." He pointed at Loki, "And after having his ass handed to him so badly, I bet he could _really_ use a drink about now."

Thor looked at Loki, then back at the Man of Iron a little unsure of what to say.

"Are you crazy? He tried to kill us and take over the world!" Natasha objected with her voice steady, albeit a bit raised.

"He failed." Tony started mixing a strong looking drink, "If I want to give someone a drink, then as this is my tower, I damn well will give it to them."

Steve Rogers and the Hulk looked at each other and shrugged. As the Hulk changed back into Bruce, they sat on the couch to catch a breather. "Let's just get this over with; I need some time to take all this in." Steve said with a sigh as he rubbed his temples.

Loki looked as though he was going to say something, but thought better of it upon a glance at Thor.

Clint exhaled loudly and lowered his bow. "I'll have a drink, double shot of whiskey. If he tries anything, he will have an arrow through his eye in less time than it takes to blink."

Thor finally said something, "He will _not_ try anything. I am certain that our Hulk friend will prove to be an adequate deterrent." His eyes locked with Loki and saw a glimmer of agreement within them. "It is settled. Loki shall have a drink, then be taken back to Asgard for judgment." The other Avengers – and Loki – looked at Thor with a mixture of varying expressions from anger, disbelief, and fear. Everyone thought better of voicing their objections to the demi-god.

Loki pushed himself off the ground, or attempted to until he found that standing was not yet an option after the severe floor-smashing that had just transpired. After standing for mere seconds, he stumbled and fell upon the closest Avenger. Fortunately that was Thor, as he had moved over in anticipation of Loki having some trouble in making his way to the counter. If it was any other Avenger, Loki was fairly certain that he would have been dead, or at the very least unconscious again. As it was, everyone suddenly stiffened and focused on him. Everyone, that is, apart from Thor who was concentrating on assisting him in walking. As soon as he was sitting he pushed Thor away and glowered at him.

"Here, " Tony handed Loki a dubious and potent looking drink. He watched as Loki accepted the proffered drink and sniffed at it cautiously – perhaps checking for poisons or drugs?

Loki, satisfied that the liquor was free of anything that could be harmful to his health – that is, apart from the alcohol – he closed his eyes as he downed the drink faster than one could blink. As he placed the glass down a small heavy sigh escaped his lips and his shoulders seemed to broad out.

"What is it brother?" Thor was being to sense something was amiss, close to the feeling he was getting from Loki on the stone outcropping some days prior.

"If I may ask, what has happened to the staff?"

Loki voiced his question with all the calm of a stone wall, but Thor could tell that there was something going on beneath the frozen green eyes. Was Loki actually _afraid_ of something? "It was destroyed when Black Widow closed the portal."

"Don't even think about trying to escape or do some more damage, I'll fucking _kill _you before you can twitch." Clint had his bow up with and arrow in the quiver in less than a second, pointed mere inches from Loki's head.

Loki ignored the mortal and looked at Natasha square in the eyes, "Are you positive that the staff was destroyed? The crystal set inside has disintegrated, yes?"

Natasha hesitated, but after Thor nodded his head, she told Loki the truth, "It melted. The staff melted and the crystal broke into a sort of powdery substance and blew away with the wind."

Almost instantly there was a change that came over Loki. His eyes suddenly became more weary but yet somehow less burdened. A slightly crazed smile appeared upon his face and he laughed. It was a small chuckle at first, but soon had blossomed into a half-crazed mirthful laugh. "Do you, any of you, understand what you have done?"

Stark narrowed his eyes and looked over both Loki and a confused looking Thor, waiting to listen to what he assumed would be a villainous-tell-all monologue. Those always served to inform someone enough in order to defeat the 'all powerful' super-villain.

"What have we done?" A de-hulked Banner asked from the edge of the couch.

"You have," Loki paused to catch his breath and wipe a tear from his eye. "You have released me from the Chitauri, and through their proxy, Thanos – the Avatar of Death."

"Huh?" A completely clueless Steve Rogers exclaimed.

"What do you mean brother?" Thor was wary of his brother, especially after all that had happened, but it did seem as though Loki had not been himself. He had attributed that change to the 'journey' that Loki had been strung along, wittingly or no.

"None of you can see? Are all of you so dull that you cannot see that which stares you down – as plain as the very nose upon your face?" Loki questioned not with an air of godly superiority, but with that of a Professor pointing out the answer to a question.

Surprisingly it was Clint who first spoke up. "Oh my God. That's why you didn't have me shoot Fury in the head!"

"What?" Tony, Natasha, Steve and Bruce all exclaimed at once. Thor had scrunched his eyes, lost in thought as he attempted to move the pieces – he knew they were all there – into place.

"When Loki first showed up through the portal and he," Clint paused for a moment. "After he turned me, we had to leave and Fury was in the way. So Loki had me shoot him where the body armour was the thickest. I actually haven't given it any thought – honestly didn't even remember that – until now."

Loki pushed his glass over to Tony, indicating that he would like another. Tony rather robotically complied and refilled the glass, handing it back before realizing what he had done. '_Too late to take it back now_,' thought Stark as Loki finished the drink off just as fast as the previous.

Stealing himself, Loki took a breath and looked over the 'Avengers' that were assembled within the smashed remains of a once spacious penthouse. "If I had had you kill him, then this world and perhaps even the Universe might have been destroyed. It was a terrific gamble, but I had hoped that everything would have worked out according to my plan."

"Wait, are you trying to say that you wanted us to defeat you?" Banner asked as he looked at Loki with disbelief.

"I second that statement." Tony quipped.

"Loki, if this is one of your lies, the Allfather help me I shal-" Thor was cut off by Loki.

"No Thor, this is no lie. No form of trickery. All of you may believe what you will, but the truth be told I had to manipulate events so that I would be able to escape Thanos with little suspicion. However, be warned that I have but few hours left until they find a way to being to monitor me again."

"Did anyone here not think it strange that the portal was conveniently able to be closed by the sceptre? I was, after all, in control of the good Doctor Selvig. There was nothing that he could have done to the machine without my knowledge."

"So you are saying that you had Erik build a way to shut the device off?" Thor looked a little confused.

"Of course I did!" Loki almost growled as he pushed his glass towards Tony once again. "If you would listen quietly then perhaps you will know why I did. The true intent of the master of the Chitauri is not this puny mortal world, nor even the tesseract. Instead Thanos wishes to possess the Infinity Gauntlet that sits in our very weapons vault within Asgard."

"The Infinity what now?" Clint asked. This was starting to get a bit more complicated then he first thought.

Loki shot him a look to quiet him as he finished the drink handed to him by the Man of Iron. "The Infinity Gauntlet. When the Chitauri found me, and Thanos found that I was from Asgard – they _persuaded_ me to join their cause. Thanos planned that I would come to Earth, be defeated in some shape or form by my brother, and then be taken back to Asgard. Once in Asgard he would have me bide my time until the perfect moment, then steal the Gauntlet away to him. I had been watching SHIELD for almost a year and I began to create a plan to escape the _hospitality_ that was that of the Chitauri." Loki paused, another drink.

"So in this master plan of yours, you wanted to be beaten to a pulp by the Hulk?" Tony asked a bit incredulously as he filled the glass with a different drink. He had stopped mid-way through his first one, as engrossed as he was in the story.

"Well, that was not a specific point of the plan, but it most assuredly provided the believable defeat that was needed to convince Thanos that you believed to have won. Tell me Thor, you were planning on whisking me away to Asgard shortly after the battle, correct?"

Thor looked at the other Avengers a bit guilty before looking back at Loki. Meeting his gaze he answered. "Yes, for the Allfather to judge you for your crimes on Midgard."

"Yea, about that! Do you realize how many people Loki has killed? If anyone should judge him for his crimes, it should be us humans." Clint bit off harshly, anger leaping behind his eyes.

Loki waved his hand, "Better a few then the entire Universe." He quickly noticed that the mood in the room grew dark. "Taking me to Asgard was exactly what Thanos had planned. But he also had planned that the sceptre with the link to their realm would not be destroyed, but rather taken to Asgard. It was how they were able to communicate with me and control me."

"What do you mean, _control_ you?" Steve Rogers asked.

"What is the best deterrent? What is a way in which one might control another being?" Loki said with his eyes dark and clouded with all too recent memories.

"Pain." Natasha said that word with so much weight and knowledge behind it that sounded beyond her young years.

Loki said nothing but responded with the slightest of nods. "With the Sceptre still intact on this world, wherever it may be, they would be able to monitor what I did and what I said. The only place safe was my mind." He tapped his forehead lightly, face flushed slightly with the recent imbibed alcohol. "I did what I do best my dear _brother_." Loki said that last word with an air of all too familiar contempt. "I plotted and I schemed. I thought of every way to divert his plans with the minimal amount of lives lost. I am a god of Mischief, not of wanton death and destruction. I wish to rule, that much is true, but I will not rule a planet that is barren of all life."

"You said that we only have a few hours?" Tony remembered something that Loki had said earlier. "How much time do we have?"

"When did the Sceptre dissipate?" Loki looked at Natasha.

"Two hours ago, three at the most."

Nodding thoughtfully Loki looked back at the Man of Iron, "I have five hours remaining at the least. If I do not complete my part of the plan and return to Asgard, then the treachery will be discovered and this planet leveled before its time."

"What would you have us do Loki?" Thor asked.

"You must plan that on your own. Within five hours' time I will be in danger of being either completely controlled or killed if all does not seem right to Thanos. He and the Chitauri are monitoring only me and the actions and words that happen near me. I suggest that you take me back to Asgard and play along as though you have defeated me and the threat is over."

Loki stood up a little shakily from the liquor and looked at the other Avengers. "Plan. Plot. Scheme. Do whatever you must to come up with a plan against Thanos, the Chitauri, and even myself. Do not inform me of anything for they will know – if you lie to me to provide false information they may discern that something is not right. They may sense betrayal and all will be for naught. Thor, you must mention little to Odin and speak nothing to me whilst I am in Asgard. Monitor what I do closely, but make it appear as though you pay no interest to me."

"I am but a stolen relic from a different race, treat me as a Midgardian might treat a piece in a museum." He stumbled a bit towards the couch that Steve and Bruce were sitting perched upon and saw them tense, awaiting a fight. "Fear not little mortals, I intend no fight between us at this moment." He sunk into the couch and looked up at the scattered people, humans and demi-god alike.

Tony made another drink and fished out a strange looking pill from a nearby drawer. "Just in case I have some less than friendly people visit me," he explained a bit sheepishly. He walked over and handed it to Loki along with the drink. "This is a tranquilizer. I don't know how your body will respond to it, but it's strong enough to knock out an elephant for a few days, so it might be able to knock you out for a day as we work this out." Tony looked between Loki and Thor as the two once-brothers held a silent conversation with each other's gaze. If Loki didn't take the pill, then perhaps he was lying about the whole lot. Stark himself would never willingly take something that would place himself at the mercy of people he was fighting.

Satisfied that Thor would let none of the mortals harm him, Loki accepted the glass and the pill nodding. "Keep in mind all of you that when I awaken, I can know nothing of your plan. Even if I feel as though you may have betrayed me, or you believe that I feel this way," he locked eyes with Thor, "Say nothing for everyone depends on it." Loki finished his explanations and swirled the drink in the glass. He drank the entire contents in mere milliseconds. Just before he allowed the quiet peaceful darkness take him away from everything he felt that they should know. "If I am killed by you, any of you, it will delay Thanos by a few years. If nothing else is a viable option, then do what you must to bide time for the Universe." Closing his eyes, he slept.

The Avengers looked at this self-proclaimed king, a demi-god passed out on the couch with a sudden look of contentment upon his face.

"Well damn." Tony ran his fingers through his hair and looked at the others. "We have _a lot_ of planning to do."

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Please Review - I need to know what you think and I also need some constructive criticism if I am to branch this out from a one shot. Thank you.


	2. What a Tangled Web

"_We have a lot of planning to do_."

* * *

"Starting with killing him," Clint stood, fingering one of his explosive arrows as he looked over at the passed out demi-god.

Thor tensed and his grip on Mjolnir tightened, "I would not allow for you harm him, regardless of the crimes in which he has committed. His judgment is to come at the hands of the AllFather once I return him to Asgard."

Natasha looked at Thor before glancing at the absurdly peaceful looking super-villain. "Can someone explain to me why Loki would suggest that we kill him to buy time? That seems a little out of character for him." She scrunched her face a little as she recalled old memories. "The bad guys I know would put self-preservation above all else." Natasha crossed her arms thoughtfully and leaned to one side on Tony's bar counter.

"Loki knows as well as I that due to his daughters affection and unwillingness to leave him in Helheim for but a fortnight, he would not remain deceased for long."

"Woah, woah. _He_," Tony pointed at Loki, "Has a kid?"

"Of course, Loki has fathered a daughter, yes. Along two sons." Thor casually placed his hammer on the floor with a little metallic clank – not a loud bang that one might expect from such a unique object. "In addition to mothering Sleipnir, Odin Allfather's steed.

Tony was about to jump all over the word 'mothered' when Dr Banner spoke up.

"As much as I enjoy a lesson in Norse Mythology, shouldn't we be working out whether or not to trust Mr 'Bat-Shit Crazy'?" Bruce nodded towards Loki.

Tony shrugged his shoulders, mentally filing away that little tidbit to come back to at a less hectic time. "Right, getting back to that," Tony walked over to a screen that hadn't been damaged and begin to pull up surveillance footage from incidents with Loki and his 'operatives' over the course of the last few days. "While JARVIS works on Intel gathering, what you can do," He pointed his finger squarely at Agent Clint Barton, "Is tell us everything you can remember from being controlled via the 'glow stick of destiny'."

Clint furrowed his brow. "Well, like I said, I didn't kill Fury when we had to make the getaway. It wasn't so much that I wanted to not kill him, more that I _needed_ to keep him alive for something. It's hard to explain, I mean it's not like I would actually kill Fury, but I clearly saw him as the enemy at the time. My entire instinct was to shoot him in the head and be done with it. But, I couldn't. Wouldn't. Shouldn't." He shook his head so as to clear the imaginary cobwebs from his mind. "Then there was when we were hiding out in some abandon building's sub levels. Loki spent a lot of time just sitting and staring at what Dr Selvig was doing along with the other scientists. I could have sworn that at one point he was talking to himself. He looked almost as bad as he had when he came out from the portal."

"Speaking of that," Tony had at that moment been distracted by an alert from JARVIS. "It seems like we have as much surveillance as SHIELD has on him." Tony reached up and started moving text and pictures about on the screen. "This looks interesting, records from when he coalesced under the 'Project Pegasus' building." He looked over at everyone assembled, focusing on Thor. "Have you ever seen Loki like this?" He isolated the footage and enlarged it, playing it for all to see on the larger of his screens.

Then imagery was familiar to Clint and Natasha; Clint having been there when it happened and Natasha when she had visited the area a few times when bringing lunch or dinner to Barton. The Tesseract began to glow and an energy beam of almost pure light and gamma radiation shot out and stopped right over a platform. Almost as quick as it started it was over, leaving only a smoking figure, wisps of blue energy wisping away from him.

Thor jerked a little as he got a good look at Loki's face – close up compliments of the SHIELD automated CCTV. "By the gods, what has happened to him?" He walked over to the screen as Tony paused it. "He looks to have gone to Helheim and spent an age before returning." Thor brushed his fingertips underneath the image-Loki's eyes. "I had given thought that something was not right when I took him from your smaller aircraft and made conversation on that outcrop."

"I have no idea what happened to him, but I think your reaction gives his story a bit more credibility on the hospitality of the Chitauri." Tony resumed the video.

"_Sir, put the spear down._" Stark noticed immediately that regardless if Loki was adopted, he still shared Thor's affinity for _not_ putting what they were holding down; and once they _put it down_ it was a destructive sight. Tony counted almost seven people dead, or as good as dead considering what happened to the lab, when Loki lifted Barton up and wrenched his arm to the side.

'_You have heart.'_ Clint cringed subtly as he remembers something evil, sinister being shoved into his mind – pushing him aside. He wasn't subtle enough that Natasha didn't notice.

'_Please don't, I need that.'_ Thor looked over at the other Avengers and stated, "He rarely makes use of pleasantries such as 'Please' and 'Thank you' unless otherwise dictated by the situation."

Tony stopped the video, "I think that's enough of that. Let's see what we have from the helli-carrier." He fiddled about for a moment or two and then noticed the point where the Black Widow came to talk to the god of Mischief.

"_Oh no, you brought the monster_."

"_The Hulk? That's your play?"_

"Pause that will you?" Banner stood up this time and walked over to the screen. "If you look at his expression, it really does seem to be honest confusion." He looked over at Natasha, "Remember what you said when you stormed into the lab? You said that – and I paraphrase – it was too easy to get me to come along and that Loki was manipulating me. I never met the man before this whole 'take-over-the-world' business. "

"That doesn't explain why you picked up the sceptre," Natasha barked back, a little sore that she had accused him earlier.

"That also doesn't explain why Loki looks so pleased here," Tony had fast forwarded to the point where the Hulk's rampage could be heard as far off as Loki's cell. He motioned towards the eerily grinning face to emphasize his point.

Thor cocked his head to the side and gave Tony the best 'no shit Sherlock' look that Tony had seen for a while. "Loki is known for his taking pleasure in chaos."

"As for me grabbing the sphere," Bruce paused and ran his hand through his ruffled hair. "Ever since I've gotten stuck with _him_, I've tended to collect things that give off gamma radiation. Probably just a subconscious side effect of the accident."

"How did he know that you were, for lack of a better word, the Hulk?" This time it was Rogers who piped up. "It doesn't make sense that he would know so much without ever having met us."

"Come to think of it, he did seem to know an awful lot about everything. I don't think he was telling the truth about Clint."

"What do you mean Tash?" Clint looked confused.

"When I was talking to Loki, trying to figure out what he had planned, he said that you were the one to tell him about," She paused. "About my previous life."

Clint grew red about the face. Not from embarrassment, but from anger – anger at Loki. "I didn't Natasha, I would never. Not even under mind control from that glowing stick thing."

Natasha waved his words away, "I know, I know. I think he was just trying to get a rise out of me, and I let him."

"Anyway," Tony cleared his throat – attempted to clear the uncomfortable silence that filled the room for a few moments. Pointing at the bruised man, Tony spoke, "He's not going to stay out for long, and yes – even though there are a few things that just aren't adding up – if what he says is true and control is reestablished soon, what do we do with him?"

"What indeed." Thor crossed his arms, contemplating.

* * *

A/N: I know – as well as most others reading this know – that the Black Widow was still holding onto the Sceptre during the shot where they (the Avengers) are all standing around Loki in Stark Tower. I did some creative writing and had it disappear – only because I know that there was some connection between it and The Other. Removing it allowed for me to explore the 'What If' mentality.

Furthermore, those of you well versed on the Norse Mythology will know that the following offspring were from Loki and a Jotunn named Angrboda; Hel (or Hela), Fenrir (or Fenris), and Jormungandr. That being said, for creative writing purposes, in this story-verse Angrboda was a Jotunn spy that fell in love with Loki and – as a shape shifted Asgardian – bore him his children before 'disappearing'. In this way his identity of being a Frost Giant is hidden until he finds out from Odin.

Message me if you wish further explanation or leave a review if you know something I do not. Also, I do apologize for the conversations that carry on in this chapter – I am still getting the feel for the characters. I am also sorry for the short chapter.


	3. Planning, then Shawarma

_"What indeed." Thor crossed his arms, contemplating._

* * *

"Of course, how could I have forgotten!" Thor exclaimed as he moved about his cape and reached into a small pocket sewn within the fabric. Fishing out an equally small case from the aforementioned pocket, he held it up to the light that filtered in from outside, inspecting it. "Father entrusted this to me shortly before I departed Asgard. He informed me that should Loki refuse to cooperate, I was to open this in Loki's presence whilst he was unconscious. "

Tony had to hand it to Thor, he looked proud of himself for remembering the object. "What is it supposed to do, whisk him away to Asgard?"

"I cannot say what the purpose of it is, for I do not know. I do not believe that my Father would harm Loki." Thor added silently in his head, '_More then he already has.'_

"What are you waiting for? Open it already." Barton stated matter-of-factly, arms crossed.

"Yes, of course." Thor opened the clasp and nodded towards everyone in the room. "It is the Allfather's magic, so it may be safer to stand clear of Loki." He walked towards the form on the couch and stopped no more than three paces away as everyone else stood a fair bit behind him. He whispered something in old Asgardian to the case and opened it slowly.

Small wisps of light slowly snaked out of the casket. They hovered for a moment or two, and then moved through the air to Loki. A larger wisp then left the box and was followed by a length stream of smaller wisps. The small wisp moved about Loki's arms and started to solidify into silver and steel manacles imbued with magic and runes carved on both the outside and inside. The long stream of wisps formed chain links between the manacles, small runes just barely visible on the surface. The larger wisp had stopped over Loki's face and began to solidify around his mouth and connected around to the base of his skull.

"Well," Tony paused, "That's pretty convenient. But, what is the point of the gag?"

"Loki uses the magic of words to trick. If he is unable to speak, then he cannot use magic." Thor replied.

"I thought all those bolts he was shooting around were just a result of his Glow Stick of Destiny, or that he had some super powers like the X-Men."

Thor looked quizzically over at Stark, confused over some of the words he used. He shook it off and did not ask. "At least he is contained. If we are to plan, we do not wish for him or this 'Thanos' to overhear. Stark, might you have a safe place to put him?"

"Yea, I think I might. But promise me that after we figure out how the _hell_ we are going to beat this Death guy or whatever –"

Bruce cut in, "Avatar of Death, Thanos."

"Whatever," Tony continued, glaring a bit at Bruce as the other man simple gave a half smirk. "After we finish, let's leave and get some Shawarma. I don't know about all of you, but all this 'saving the world' business has me hungry."

Natasha and Clint rolled their eyes almost in unison, but soon it was settled that after securing Loki and planning everything out as best they could, they would go for Shawarma. Thor grabbed Loki and threw him over his shoulder as if he was nothing more than a sandbag.

"Where to Man of Iron?" Thor looked down at the short mortal.

"It's Iron Man, no, really it's Stark. Or Tony." He paused and looked up at Thor. "Never mind, Stark works. This way." He waved at Thor to follow him through the doorway and down a hallway towards an elevator. "We'll be right back."

* * *

"Can we remove the glove? Put a fake in its place?" Stark started the conversation after he and Thor returned from locking Loki away. "You know –pull a bait and switch?"

"I know that Loki believes that only he is being watched, but how did this Thanos guy figure out where the Gauntlet was in the first place? Perhaps he has some sort of way to tell where it is?" Bruce theorized.

"Yes, I believe that you may be right Doctor Banner, "Thor spoke up. "It will be best for _all_ of us if Thanos does not sense treachery.

The other Avengers could sense that he included Loki in the word 'all'.

"So, this weapons vault? What sort of defenses does it have?" Rogers asked as he fiddled about with the glass of water Stark had given him.

Thor thought for a moment before replying, "The standard protection wards are placed over all items that are held within." He would have continued if not for Agent Barton.

"Standard protection wards? You mean lasers or something?"

"I do not know what you mean by lasers, but the wards do many things. Not only do they alert the sorcerers when the items are touched, but if someone is not allowed to touch them – they will have a number of traps sprung upon them. The more typical ward – when triggered – freezes the person until a guard is dispatched and captures them. Wards that are placed in the weapons room are such as these and other stronger – more deadly wards. "

"Some placed over the lesser weapons merely render one unconscious. Others will place the person into a side-realm until they are retrieved at the Allfather's leisure. The most dangerous ward, one that we do not place on anything in the weapons room should something go awry, is a ward that will incinerate the offender."

Tony and Bruce looked at each other at the mention of a 'side-realm'. "By a 'side-realm', do you mean a pocket dimension?" Bruce asked curiously.

"I do not know what a 'pocket dimension' is. It is the Isle of Silence, a realm split from Asgard where the Allfather sends those who would do us harm. The Isle is most effective against magic users as the only way out once placed inside is to be retrieved by the Allfather's magic." His face darkened a little as he said quietly, "I fear that is where Loki will be placed on our return from Midgard."

"Moving on," Natasha interrupted, "What about physical deterrents, guards?"

"There are two of the royal guards stationed within the vault and four stationed outside the doors. Also, wards are placed on the door so those without access cannot entire until they either overcome the guards or enter using magic."

"Yea, you're right. Loki's gunna get stuck on that Silent Isle place." Clint said almost immediately.

Thor glared at Clint, "It is not my decision, nor yours. If the Allfather believes Loki to be that much of a threat, then he will exile him here for a time." He paused for a moment as he moved his hammer from one hand to the other. He looked over at the rest of the self-labeled Avengers, some sitting on the bar stools – Stark and Agent Barton – other such as Captain America and Bruce Banner sitting next to him on the other side of the couch. Agent Romanov was standing near Clint, arms crossed. "The only thing that I believe would work, if but for a short time, would be to place the more dangerous wards on the door and the gauntlet. Loki would not be able to discern what wards are over a weapon unless he stands close to it."

"I am certain that if he is warned that approaching any items within the weapons vault will earn him time on the Isle of Silence, Thanos will believe that he has no choice but to stay away. His plan foiled and the universe saved."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Bruce said to no one in particular.

"I suppose it's that best that can be done right now," Steve Rogers stood up. "Thor can return Loki to Asgard, and we can keep trying to come up with a better plan in the meantime."

"Right. Good." Tony stood up and clasped his hands. "Shawarma time."

* * *

A/N: **yaoiuke101**: I would never presume to say that Loki is innocent, he is -after all- a god of Mischief :)

Fixed some grammar errors and sentence conflicts in the first chapter. I apologize for this being a shorter chapter then the rest, but I had to get it out of the way so I could get to the good stuff. I do have a plan for the entirety of the story, so please be patient - I go to college, work in the Army, and have other responsibilities - I can only update about once a week. Sooner should the mood strike me.

I apologize if some of the dialogue feels wrong to any of you, please let me know what character you feel is forced and I will work on it. If you have any ideas of what they should have said, share with me and if I use it then I will credit you.

Lastly, inspiration for this chapter was provided by Tumblr's Lokilization, queen-loki-of-asgard and an RPGer - Loki Laufeyson - YouTube channel. Got to have music to get me in the writing mood. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed my take on 'What If'.


	4. Reflection

_"Right. Good." Tony stood up and clasped his hands. "Shawarma time."_

* * *

When all the shawarma had been eaten and the plans made, the Avengers notified Director Fury that they would be keeping the tesseract.

Tony and Dr Selvig would build a sort of mobile portal generator based off of information provided to them by Thor. In this way Thor would be able to take Loki to Asgard with the speed and effectiveness that matched the Bifrost Bridge. In Tony's mind, the faster they could get the device completed, the less time that Fury would have to change his mind about Loki _and_ the Tesseract.

With that in mind, Tony locked himself and Erik Slevig into his workshop and worked through the night – occasionally sending Thor or Natasha and Clint to gather the necessary supplies. By the early morning light, the Tesseract gateway generator was complete. 'Sadly, not enough time or feasibility to test it,' Tony thought to himself. He almost wished that he could keep the Tesseract and study it. _A cube that gave off perpetual energy_? The implications and applications were nearly limitless, but who in their right mind would argue with a god? "I may be a bit crazy, but not _that_ crazy." Tony muttered to himself.

"What was that Mr Stark?" Erik asked as he peered up from completing the finishing touches on the device before him.

"Nothing, it's nothing." Tony looked over at the clock mounted on the wall. Almost 6am. He looked over at everything thrown about and tools strewn over the multiple counters. Pepper was going to kill him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered how the two _'brothers'_ were getting along – as Loki should have woken up quite a few hours ago.

* * *

Thor gazed and Loki.

Loki glared at him.

This battle of looks had been going on since Loki had woken up – only pausing from time to time when Thor was called to assist the Man of Iron or when one of them had to give in to the necessity of blinking.

Occasionally Thor would open his mouth as if to speak, but a sharp look or a raised eyebrow from Loki quickly stop the words from coming. It was difficult for Thor to sit there, watching his bruised and slightly bloodied brother, not being able to say anything when he knew that Loki had no other option _but_ to listen. No scathing, stabbing, poisoned responses would come either – but Thor knew if he said the wrong word, the wrong phrase, all the plans might be for naught.

Loki was trapped in his mind. He could feel not only the gaze of his once-brother upon him, but also the icy and dark magic that Loki had been accompanied to over the past week. Thanos and the Other had reestablished their observation of him. It was so infuriating, so very maddening. When he fell from the bridge he had only wanted to disappear, _he should have disappeared_. The universe had no place for an unwanted, weak immortal such as him. He was not one for introspection or to belittle himself, but when the facts are laid out for you, painted from swatches of bright emblazoning colours – you could not avoid seeing the obvious true. He did not, _would not_, consider for a moment that he was weak – but those on Asgard did not consider him strong, or rather strong in their definition of the term. Here on Midgard he was formidable an opponent until that green creature bested him. As for unwanted – well – that was painfully obvious. However for some odd reason, even with the knowledge of his background that Thor now was well aware, he was still so very protective of him. Simple minded fool.

Both brothers continued to watch each other – contemplating themselves and the other in silence.

"_Hey, sorry to break up your epic staring contest, but I think everything is ready."_ Agent Clint Barton's voice came over the intercom speaker inside the barely furnished room.

Thor nodded as if Barton could see him, Loki rolled his eyes.

"Let us depart brother. Father would have words for you." Thor stood and walked to where Loki was seated – the chains connecting the wrist cuffs wrapped around his hammer to prevent Loki from escaping. Thor picked up his hammer and unwrapped the chains, still holding them for a moment before dropping them suddenly. He could feel a bit of his almost limitless strength being sapped away by the runes embedded within the links. Thor felt a twinge of guilt as he realized that Loki might not even be able to walk under his own volition.

Seeing the all too familiar look of guilt affix itself to Thor's brow, Loki gathered all the strength that was left to him and stood. Willing his legs not to shake, he gestured at the door with his hand. '_Shall we?'_

Thor understood his brother and opened it with a wave of a small card that the Man of Iron had given him. It was seemingly magic that this object could open a door that would take brute strength to otherwise jar loose. He and Loki left the quiet and lonely room to gather dust in the absence of people as they headed to meet the others. It was time to go home.

* * *

They stood there in Central Park, all the self-labeled Avengers along with Loki. A quiet, almost grim resolution held heavy over them as Dr Selvig assisted Tony Stark with the Tesseract device.

Natasha and Clint watched Loki. She turned and whispered into his ear. "He'll get what he deserves – somehow."

Clint allowed a smile to grace his face and he nodded approvingly. Regardless of whether or not Loki was being controlled, Loki was still responsible for going along with the plans – killing humans left and right – and taking control of him. His mood had been sour for the past day as he would occasionally entertained thought that Loki would be free and clear – much like he had been. Free and clear from the administrative repercussions, but not from the guilt.

It was handed off to Thor who was grasping Loki's shoulder – merely a show for the Mortals – he knew that Loki had neither the power nor the physical strength the try anything. He prayed that this 'Thanos' would know this as well. Even though they were following this Mad Titan's will, Thor did not know if the lack of objection to return to Asgard on the part of Loki would raise flags of betrayal. Internally sighing, he thrust the device up at an angle, leveling it with Loki's hand.

Pausing, Loki wondered if he should go through with it. He had no way of knowing what the Allfather had planned. Perhaps this device would be diverted from its intended course and they would end up within the realm of the Chitauri and Thanos. As much as he despised Thor, he would not wish that existence upon him. A glare and low growl – quite possibly below the realm of hearing for the mortals – escaped from Thor directed towards him. Better to grab the handle and 'bit the bullet' as Midgardians would say. Nary a more apt description for these circumstance could Loki find. Midgardians were at least descriptive with their phrases when they mean to.

Loki grabbed the handle and brought his head up to meet Thor's gaze. Pain lingered behind the veil of Thor's eyes. A subtle nod, and unspoken regret, and they were off.

Shooting through the path that Yggdrasil wound as it bound the multiple realms together, Thor and Loki traversed skyward to Asgard. Towards the remnants of the Bifrost Bridge.

* * *

AN: I apologize for the wait for this chapter; I have been extremely busy at work and with school.

Thank you to **Akpaley** whose comment made me feel so accomplished that I immediately stopped futzing about and wrote this chapter. Thank you again to **yaoiuke101** – I hope that this chapter did not disappoint.

Thank you to everyone that has added this to your favourites and alerts.


	5. The Arrival

_Shooting through the path that Yggdrasil wound as it bound the multiple realms together, Thor and Loki traversed skyward to Asgard. Towards the remnants of the Bifrost Bridge._

* * *

The arrival on Asgard was far less awkward than when Loki was sent to Midgard by the Chitauri. Perhaps it was a result of directly using the tesseract for the entire journey. As it was, Thor and Loki alighted on the remnants of the bridge to be met with nothing more than a small contingent of ceremonial palace guards.

Loki entertained for the briefest of moments that they were there to defend Thor should he try anything. He knew this was not the reason as he felt as physically dangerous as a small midgardian kitten. He glanced at Thor and was greeted with that insufferable look of concern and worry. Loki internally sighed, feeling that it was time to meet the Allfather and accept his punishment. Would death be preferable to continued servitude to the Chitauri and being "controlled" by Thanos and the Other?

Loki took a step towards the Castle and realised that was an utter mistake. Once again he had forgotten that he was almost completely drained of strength. As a result of such, Loki stumbled forward and lurched a bit to one side. Another mistake on his behalf was moving without a signal from Thor or discerning what the purpose of the spattering of Guards was.

Within the blink of an eye, Thor and one of the Guards were by his side assisting him. The remaining guards had moved to stand in front of him in the direction he had stumbled. Loki looked past them as he failed miserably to brush off the two of them and saw the edge of the Bridge. The guard refused to release his hold, were as Thor did, thus confirming his suspicions. They were sent to ensure that he would not escape or, perhaps, attempt suicide by jumping off. How foolish a thought. It boiled Loki that Odin would assume he would choose the easy and less troublesome of solutions to his predicament instead of standing before the Allfather and accept his judgment. Was someone talking?

"Loki, can you hear me?" Thor finally asked as the previous banter did not draw his brothers eye's. He had been trying to get the guard to let go, but Thor's attempts to get any form of reassurance from him had failed. Thor was slightly pleased that he finally drew Loki's attention from wherever he was - plotting and scheming no doubt. If anything had been revealed over the last week, it was that Loki could weave an intricate web.

Loki nodded towards Thor and looked - even felt - confused. What did he want?

"You will follow me, yes?" Thor asked calmly - voice betraying little of the clash of emotions that roared beneath the surface.

Loki again nodded, mustering as much fake sincerity as possible to his eyes. To his surprise he found that it was easier to fake it then he thought. Belatedly he realised that he had not faked all of it, he was simply too tired to project false emotions. To his surprise, the guard lightened his grip but his hand still remained. Furthering the shock of Loki, he found that the guard was ensuring that he would not collapse or appear weak in front of his bro- In front of Thor. Loki glared daggers at the guard and ripped his arm away. Taking a small moment to gather strength, he stepped over towards Thor.

Thor nodded and then strode forward to the Castle.

And Stopped.

So suddenly did Thor stop that Loki very nearly smashed into Thor's back. Wishing he could curse, he looked beyond Thor to view what could so grab his attention.

Odin astride Sleipnir, and Frigg riding her amber Mare, trotted along the bridge towards the Princes of Asgard.

'_Very Wise_,' a unanimous thought echoed through the "Brothers" mind. Keep Loki as far from the weapons vault as possible.

Loki might have allowed a small chuckle if not for his mouth being bound.

"Thor, Loki. My sons." Odin acknowledged them with a gruff voice and stiff nod.

Frigg looked as though she had been in tears for nearly a fortnight. She dismounted in a flury of robes and rushed over, hugging Thor so briefly that it was more of a brush then a complete hug. Then she moved to Loki and clung to him as though her life depended on it.

Loki kept his head up, refusing to look at his mother - no, adoptive mother. Instead he choose to cast a withering glare at Odin. He wished with every fiber in his being that Ragnarok would start there and now, Fenrir to break free from his shackles and devour Odin as he stood. Though it was a wish made in vain, it provided him a small bit of happiness despite the situation. Judging by Frigg's reaction, Odin Allfather had already decided upon his punishment.

"Loki. Your brother has informed me of the destruction you arrogantly brought down upon Midgard." Odin dismounted Sleipnir, the aforementioned looking down at the ground pawing lightly and not wishing to look Loki in the eye.

'_My descent so complete that my child disowns me_,' Loki thought and briefly compared it to him and Odin. Perhaps Odin would disown him then, lock him in the dungeons. Absurdly Loki morbidly thought the weapons vault would make for an apt prison - regardless of the gauntlet. Place the stolen relic of a war long passed with all of the other weapons and forget them, leave them to gather dust and decay.

"It has been decided, your punishment." Odin moved forward to Loki, Gungnir materializing in his hands with power radiating outwards - a veritable drug to magic users. "Exile to the Isle of Silence until such a time that I, Odin Allfather, see fit."

Faster than anyone, Thor and Frigg primarily, could voice an objection - strong and hot magic enveloped Loki. Vibrant strands of glowing orange magic pulled him from the bridge, the guards, everyone. Loki was being dragged to the Isle, and in that one moment - despite Thanos watching him - Loki wished that he could speak two simple words. Words that he had never spoken but a few times in his live whilst meaning it. The words would be left unsaid as Loki blinked.

Suddenly he was standing on a boulder near the center of the Isle. Loki found that there, the metal gag had been removed and the chains that joined the cuffs had disappeared. However the actual magic sapping cuffs remained about his wrists.

Loki felt the hot glare of Heimdall and the icy daggers that signified the Other and Thanos.

Now to wait.

Loki growled inaudibly to himself as he walked to a nearby tree in an attempt to get settled in and comfortable.

* * *

**AN:** I apologize for the obscenely long wait for this chapter. I got caught between two Certification classes and a lot of Military duties. Finally sat down and wrote up this chapter. I'm working on the next one right now, so hopefully you will not have to wait as long. Thank yo uso much to everyone who took the time to read this thus far.


	6. Silence

_Loki growled inaudibly to himself as he walked to a nearby tree in an attempt to get settled in and comfortable._

* * *

"Father, how long?" Thor asked. The last of his question need not be spoken.

"For him, a year. For the rest of the realms it shall be but fourteen Midgardian days." Odin looked weary, drained of what little energy he had gathered after sending Thor to Midgard. He dismissed the guards with a wave and waited until they were gone, naught but silhouettes at the end of the Bifrost. "Is that enough time? Preparations to the weapons vault have almost been completed."

Thor nodded, "Then I shall return to Midgard to assist the Avengers. Before I depart, I need to have the transportation spell to travel to the Island of Silence."

"For what purpose my Son? You cannot speak as you very well know. Even if you could, Loki would listen not to you or to reason." Odin looked sadly at Thor and Frigg. "I fear his mind is lost to us, poisoned beyond the means which our healers could manage to heal."

"To whom would the fault of that lay Father?" Thor said, an edge to his voice as he looked evenly between the both of his parents.

Odin was silent and Frigg looked wounded.

Immediately after the words were out of his mouth, Thor regretted them. The damage was already done, but the result was that the AllFather reached into the folds of his robes and retrieved an amulet.

"To travel to the Isle, you must speak these words; _To the place that Thought remains, though Speech wanes - Only I, Thor Odinson may traverse_." Odin handed the amulet over. "To return, simply hold with both hands and think of where it was exactly that you had departed from."

Frigg embraced her son, a fair bit longer than earlier. She looked into his eyes. "Take care my son. As best as you are able, try and save him from the hate that he surrounds himself with." She relinquished her hold on him and stepped back to Odin's side.

Thor handed the cylinder containing the tesseract to Odin, and Odin in turn gave Thor the Amulet.

Opening the container, Odin raised his staff and pointed the tip of Gungnir at the cube. Drawing on the cosmic power stored within, he again shifted his spear and pointed it at Thor - sending him back to the realm of Midgard.

As the blue energy wrapped itself around Thor and then slowly dissipated, Frigg looked towards Odin. "Do you think Loki will return to us?"

"Time will tell my dear wife," Odin turned and walked back to the Castle, arm intertwined around Frigg with the horses following them across the bridge.

* * *

Loki hated not being able to talk, but more than that he hated not having something to occupy his time. As he thought back upon it, perhaps his start in mischief was merely a way to cease being bored. To provide some small bit of entertainment to an otherwise stuffy and dull castle that resided in a stuffy and dull realm.

Although, one could argue, he was not completely without mental stimulation on the Isle. Thor had paid a visit to him twice in the past two days, if only for an hour each time - Loki was a small bit grateful that the Isle prevented conversation. He closed his eyes and ignored his brother and his painfully sincere eyes.

He also had to deal with the steady and watchful gaze of Heimdall, along with the annoyingly sporadic connection to his mind by the Other. Those interferences aside, however, he was painfully bored.

Standing up, Loki brushed off the small bit of dirt that had gathered on his robes and once more went for a walk. He knew that there was no escape from the Isle as this was not his first time there. It was the first time that his magic had been restrained so completely, so there would be no practicing spells or conjuring wisps of smoke to dance about. Loki had walked the Island numerous times in these first two days and already it was getting so dull. The plants never changed, the trees never changed, even the clouds and slow breeze never changed. Truly this was the worst punishment that the Allfather could place upon him.

Halfway around the Island, he felt a tug on his shoulder, a heavy hand. Loki whipped around and crouched low, bringing his arms up in more a defensive manner then offensive.

Thor was standing there, one hand up - non-threatening - with the other hand holding something that resembled a satchel.

At first Loki felt his face burn brightly as he stood up, embarrassed that he would automatically cower in such a manner. Quickly regaining his injured pride, he looked curiously at the thing that Thor was holding. Thor had never brought him anything here when we has a child, apart from the occasional book his personal room or pieces of fruit from the palace kitchens. It took a moment before he realised that Thor was holding out a slip of paper to him. He grabbed it and worked on deciphering Thor's appalling handwriting. As an afterthought he wondered when Thor would learn the proper usage of capital letters in a sentence.

_I brought these from Midgard, Man of Iron suggested you would find the slate interesting. _

Thor held out the bundle he was carrying and offered it to Loki. He had thought to bring a sleeping mat and blanket, but the rest of the objects came from Dr Banner and the Man of Iron. He could not remember the name that they called the slate, but it did not sound appropriate for what it was. Why would anyone want to use such an amazing object as kindling for a fire?

Loki looked doubtful that anyone would be able to give him something that he found '_interesting_', especially if it came from that worthless planet. However, they were full of surprises weren't they? Curiosity from the oppressive boredom made him give in and he accepted the package. Instead of rifling through it, he managed to wait until he got to the grove of trees and small hill that he had designated as his 'campsite'. Even though he could not hear Thor behind him, he knew that he was being followed. Once they sat down, Loki began to open what he had been given.

He hoped that Thor and the other Avengers would not be stupid enough to write down their plans or give him any indication about what was going on with their preparations. They should know that it was far too dangerous. Suddenly Loki's thoughts shifted. Packed along with some Midgardian fruit, a bedroll, a sturdy and soft blanket; there was an almost flat rectangular device. Upon further inspection - flipping it around - he found that there was a screen that resembled a page from a book. There were two buttons on the entire thing, a round hole and a oddly shaped slot.

Loki pressed one of the buttons, but nothing happened. He pressed the second button and the screen flashed black for a moment, then reformed into a list of various strings of words. Loki had known the 'English' Midgardian language for some time, and was glad that he did. He touched the button, but nothing happened apart from a brief flash. Loki then touched one of the strings of words on the screen. Another flash and the screen turned into a page of words, paragraphs. A Chapter.

It seemed as though the words were titles of books, but that was absurd. So many books in such a little device, however did it work. Loki wanted more than ever to take it apart piece by piece and discern the magic that made this object do the impossible. Without his access to magic, there would be no analyzing it or putting it back together once he was done; and with the pressure of boredom, he would rather not destroy something that might provide a distraction.

Loki looked up at Thor and nodded, accepting this gift. He then turned his attention to the 'book', zoning out to the world as he entered the world of scientific prose.

Thor allowed himself a small smile. He would let the two Avengers know that Loki greatly appreciated his gift. Whether this was true or not, it seemed more towards the former then the later. At any rate, the hour was drawing to a close, and he did not want to risk being away longer then the two or so minutes that the hour was in reality. He nudged Loki, and after catching the briefest of looks, he was whisked away back to Midgard.

* * *

Tony was tinkering on a small object with Bruce. A small object surrounded by bits of wires, spare parts, a robot arm casing, and various sheaf's of papers with loose sketches and quick calculations. It wasn't more than two minutes that Thor had left them, when in a sudden gust of air he appeared.

"That was fast." Bruce commented without looking up, focusing instead on a soldering iron and two pieces of circuitry on a board.

"The time passes differently within the Isle of Silence then it does in this realm."

"Yea, you had mentioned that just before you left. How long were you there for?" Tony asked offhandedly, though he was intensely curious.

"An hour in your measurement of time." Thor ran his hand through his hair and walked over to Dr Banner, standing not too close, but close enough to see was he was doing.

"So that means," Tony paused for a second, running a simple equation in his head. "Time passes at a 1:26 ratio. One minute here is equal to Twenty-six there?"

"That is correct, I think." Thor ended rather half-heartedly.

"So one hour here is just over a day there?"

"Yes."

"Fascinating!" Tony thought briefly about the implications, but then when back to focusing on the gamma radiation tracer.

"Did he find the Kindle interesting?" Bruce said in a way that made it appear he did not care, but really did.

"The magic slate? Yes, he seemed to be pleased when he figured out how it worked. For a moment I believed he would tear the object apart to find out how it worked." Thor looked at the two of them and placed his hand on Dr Banner's shoulder. "I thank you, I do not know who the silence would effect him if there was nothing that would divert his interest. It is very," Thor found himself pausing to find the right words, "Lonely there."

"Right, well. Touchy-feely pleasantries aside, we need to finish this in less then two weeks. If the magical mumbo-jumbo your people set up around the glove does not work, and Loki gets ahold of that thing, we need to be able to track it wherever it ends up." Tony scrunched up his brow, "Which would go so much faster if we could study the Tesseract more closely."

"I apologize, but the Allfather will not let that out of his sight. You will have to make do with the information you have from The Fury."

Tony sighed, "It's Director Fury, or One Eye. Not 'The Fury'."

"It seems fitting."

Bruce simply chuckled as he scratched out another calculation and scribbled another underneath.

* * *

It had been five days since Thor had last come to visit him, giving him that wonderful and interesting device. Loki had read just over a quarter of the books that had been within, his favourite being _Frankenstein_ and _The Art of War_. He was about to start on a random book he selected titled _Little Princess_ when his brain felt as though it imploded.

Every nerve ending burst into sparks of blue flame as it pierced into his body. Slowly he overcame a large part of the pain and began to realise what was happening. The Other was trying to contact his mind, such as the times on Midgard. This time though, this time it felt different; something was not right with this attempt of The Other. It was rougher, distorted, almost as though it was being drawn out; words delivered in short screeching bursts.

After what seemed like hours compressing into moments, only to be unwound again; the meeting place snapped in as clear as crystal.

The Other strode over to Loki, armoured hand rising quickly to grasp around his throat and squeeze. "Are you trying to deceive us? We will not tolerate such insolence. Why is there such interference?"

The Other's voice was raspy and grating in Loki's ear, hot sticky breath down his neck. He struggled as he attempted to get the words through the slowly closing windpipe, "I am doing no such thing." Choking as the Other released his hold, he continued. "Odin has seen fit to send me to the Isle of Silence, time there has no meaning in relation to any other realm. A day there can be as long as a year or as short as a second to the entirety of the universe. Perhaps this skewing of time is the cause of the interference." Loki was not entirely sure if it was the case or if it was the doing of Heimdall, the Allfather, or simply the properties of the Isle itself. Hopefully the Other would at least accept that explanation.

The Other was quiet for a moment, communing with Thanos. "It is no matter. There is no hindrance where watching your actions are concerned. My Lord wishes to make known he plan to retrieve the gauntlet."

Loki betrayed no emotion as he nodded.

"My Lord has an Aesir within the palace on Asgard. They have instructions to contact you when you return from your exile. From that point on you will receive more orders from my Lord on the precise plan on how to extract the gauntlet." The Other had been pacing back and forth, almost annoyed.

"I do not know how long I shall be exiled for, it may very well be permanent." For a fleeting moment, Loki hoped that it he would remain in exile for eternity. Years would pass, Thanos would have no way of reaching him without destroying the whole of the nine realms. Thor would visit fewer and fewer times, eventually forgetting him all together. Leave him to sit there and rot, gathering dust and cobwebs until the very end of time.

"My Lord has waited millennia to retrieve this object, he is satisfied with waiting a for a few more." The Other stopped in front of Loki, "The wait makes victory all that much sweeter." A cruel and vicious attempt at a grin played across his face. "This victory will be the sweetest of all for my Lord." A wave of a hand and Loki was thrown back into his body.

* * *

A/N: Sorry again for the Delay - I claim work as the problem. I would however like the thank Google Documents as it has allowed me to work on my story whenever the mood strikes wherever I may me. I know there was a bit of fluff in this chapter regarding the Kindle, don't kill me. I just thought it would be something like Thor to give him a meaningful gift, but Tony and Bruce being able to think of one that Loki might enjoy instead of simply another read and reread book from Loki's chamber in the palace.

Thank you again for your reviews, follows, favourites, and support!


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